Monday, November 26, 2007

November 26, 2007U.S. to give terrorists anti-terror training coursesNo, I am not making this up.

"Terror group told to prepare for U.S. training," from WorldNetDaily.com (thanks to Doug):

Much of the senior leadership of the most active Palestinian terrorist organization in the West Bank recently received orders to prepare to enter U.S.-run security training courses, according to the author of a new book. The courses, meant to train forces to fight terrorism, are to be reportedly stepped up following this week's Annapolis summit.

WND's Jerusalem bureau chief Aaron Klein, author of the recently released ""Schmoozing with Terrorists," said yesterday he received information much of the senior leadership of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group were told they will be entering U.S. anti-terror training courses for security forces associated with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah forces.

The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah's declared military wing, took credit along with the Islamic Jihad terror group for every suicide bombing in Israel between 2005 and 2006. The Brigades is responsible for more terrorism from the West Bank than any other Palestinian Arab organization, carrying out thousands of shootings and grenade attacks.

Many members of the Brigades serve openly on Fatah's security forces, including the Force 17 presidential guards and Fatah's Preventative Security Services, which function as Palestinian police forces. Abbas last June appointed senior Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades leader Mahmoud Damra as commander of Force 17. Damra, who was arrested by Israel last November, was on the Jewish state's most-wanted list of terrorists.

The U.S. has been running bases in Jericho to train Fatah militias since the late 1990s. Over the years, the U.S. also has provided Fatah militias with arms, reportedly including thousands of high-powered assault rifles during the past year alone.

[...]

The U.S. training programs include courses in the use of weapons. They are being partially funded with a $86.5 million grant approved by Congress in April and are slated to be infused with more funds from a $400 million grant President Bush asked Congress to approve last month ahead of this week's U.S.-sponsored Israeli-Palestinian summit in Annapolis, Md.

The training courses are to be stepped up following the Annapolis summit to prepare Abbas' forces for their stated role in fighting terror in West Bank.

[...]

"It's scandalous that in the midst of the war on terror, our tax dollars are used to fund, train and arm the most active Palestinian West Bank jihad group," said Klein.

"It took no investigative reporting whatsoever on my part to discover members of U.S.-backed, trained and armed Fatah militias are also members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group," writes Klein. "I simply went around the West Bank and asked Fatah militia members, who walk around with American-provided high-power assault rifles, whether they are also in the Brigades."

[...]

Speaking to Klein through a translator, Yousuf said his American training was instrumental in attacks on Israelis.

"All the methods and techniques that we studied in these trainings, we applied them against the Israelis," he said.

"We sniped at Israeli settlers and soldiers," he said. "We broke into settlements and Israeli army bases and posts. We collected information on the movements of soldiers and settlers. We collected information about the best timing to infiltrate our bombers inside Israel. We used weapons and we produced explosives, and, of course, the training we received from the Americans and the Europeans were a great help to the resistance."

Yousuf said the training included both intelligence and military tactics.

[...]

The leader of the Brigades in Nablus, Ala Senakreh, received U.S. training and serves in the Palestinian Preventative Security forces. Senakreh is widely considered to be the West Bank chief of the Brigades; his cell is accused of planning multiple suicide bombings.

"In other words, a U.S.-trained police officer charged with stopping terrorism in Nablus is also the known head of the city's terror group. Something smells a little wrong here," writes Klein.

In his new book, Aaron Klein lists more such follies:

* The Bush administration has sent hundreds of millions of dollars worth of weapons per year to Palestinian militias without official congressional oversight.

* U.S. weapons have been used in scores of terrorist shootings, including against Israeli schoolgirls.

* U.S. intelligence has coordinated security with terrorists.

* The U.S. funds Hamas-run schools and a university in which the chemistry lab has been used to produce rockets and suicide bomb belts.

* U.S.-funded streets and sports stadiums have been named after enemies of America, including Iraqi insurgent leaders, suicide bombers and even hanged Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.